The Grub Glossary is a weekly collection of foods, their definitions and where to find them.

Every once in a while at the grocery store, I come across a strange looking vegetable, or a surprising varietal of a vegetable. My first instinct is to Google it (where was I before the advent of the Internet?) to figure out what it is and where it comes from.

Here are some uncommon vegetables that you may come across at the farmers' market, the grocery store, or in recipes:

Celeriac [suh-lair-ee-ack]

A varietal of celery cultivated for its roots, unlike its stems or leaves, celeriac is not the most attractive vegetable. But as usual, looks can be deceiving. Underneath the knotted, brown skin (if you remember what mandrakes look like in Harry Potter, a little something like that) is a starchy, ivory-colored flesh with the mild taste of celery. It can be fried, boiled, pureed and roasted, just like potatoes.

It can be a bit of trouble to prepare (get ready to peel), but yields amazing results when cooked. One of my favorite methods is boiling it and pureeing it. Chicory [chick-ore-ee]

You may have heard of chicory coffee before, especially if you've ever made a trip to New Orleans' famous Cafe du Monde, where the drink utilizes this hardy perennial plant's roots for its caffeine-free properties.

The plant has blueish, purple flowers that open and close at the same time every day.

Chicory can also be cultivated for its leaves, of which there are numerous varieties and myriad uses in cultures across the world. Curly endive [N-dive], escarole [es-cuh-role], radicchio [ra-dee-key-oh], the vegetable that looks like a miniature head of lettuce with beet-red and white leaves, and Belgian endive [on-deev], the small, white and yellow bud-like vegetable, are all varietals of chicory.

A member of the cabbage family (and relative to kale, collard greens, broccoli and Brussels sprouts) "kohlrabi" comes from the German word meaning "cabbage turnip." The vegetable looks a little like a greenish globe with leaves growing from the top and sides. The taste and texture are similar to broccoli, but remain a bit sweeter and milder.

Kohlrabi can be eaten raw or cooked, but the outer fibrous layers must be peeled away first. Romanesco [row-man-ess-co]

Romanesco, or Romanesque cauliflower/broccoli, is one of the most unique and beautiful vegetables grown. Light green in color, Romanesco grows in pointed, spiraled fractals that follow the logarithmic pattern of the Fibonacci sequence. Its flavor is less assertive than cauliflower, and is more crunchy with a nutty flavor.

It can be used as a substitute for cauliflower or cooked on its own. Salsify [sall-sih-fee]

Salsify is a root vegetable in the dandelion family. It is also sometimes referred to as the oyster plant, although its flavor is more reminiscent of artichokes than oysters. The root is thin and dark brown, but when peeled, reveals bright white flesh.

Similar to parsnips, salsify can be peeled and then roasted, sauteed, braised or boiled. Samphire [sam-fire]

Samphire, or sea beans, grow in two varieties, rock and marsh, but marsh samphire is sold much more widely than rock. It's cultivated in coastal areas and looks a little like soft green coral, or baby asparagus. It has been eaten for centuries in the United Kingdom, even being mentioned in Shakespeare's "King Lear."

The plant can be eaten raw, but is incredibly salty. Boiling or steaming samphire removes some of its salinity and makes it much more palatable. It can be boiled and sauteed lightly with butter or served (oftentimes) with fish.Samphire can be found at farmers markets or from a fishmonger.